A friend of mine is currently living in Romania teaching English to 9th graders. Right now they are focusing on "American Culture and Civilization" and to get started she had her children break into groups. Each group put together a list of words to answer the question "What Does It Mean to Be An American?" Here is what they said:

I think the back to back pairing of "smart" and "stupid" says a lot. Mostly, that our image isn't all bad, just . . . mixed. Also, I'm sure Robert Deniro would be pleased to know that he is now as internationally recognized as Spongebob. Can Al Pacino say as much?